Heroes Episode 23 Recap
> Heroes Recap
Di Feijing, grievously wounded by Thirteen Doom, struggled to his feet, desperate to reach Lei Chun. Just then, the new Hall Master Thirteen Doom had appointed burst screaming from the room, a hairpin lodged in his bleeding eye. Lei Chun, stained with blood, emerged with a ruthless gaze. Thirteen Doom, unperturbed, revealed that the man was intentionally sent for Lei Chun to kill, a test of her resolve.
He praised her as a formidable daughter, unlike her "useless" father, Lei Sun, and instructed her to prepare to meet Chancellor Cai the following day. After Thirteen Doom departed, Lei Chun's fierce demeanor crumbled. She collapsed in tears, and Di Feijing gently cradled her, offering silent comfort as she wept. The next day, Lei Chun met with Chancellor Cai.
She stated her purpose directly: she had come to atone for killing one of his men by offering herself as the new leader of Six Half Hall. Skeptical of her ambition and capability, Chancellor Cai questioned her. Lei Chun asserted that she could serve him as her father once had and promised to prove her worth. Later, as Lei Chun played her zither, her mind drifted back to her father's deathbed.
He had told her not to seek revenge, but if she felt she must, she should find Bai Choufei. Following her mistress's wishes, Lei Chun's maid, Mo, sought out Bai Choufei. Mo explained that Lei Chun, though determined to take control of Six Half Hall, was in a vulnerable position. Her first move was to travel to River Chu Town to bring the influential Pili Sect of Jiangnan—her father's origin—under her control.
This journey was perilous, yet she planned to go alone. Mo implored Bai Choufei, whom she knew genuinely cared for Lei Chun, to accompany and protect her. Bai Choufei then summoned Little Rock and Wen Rou, announcing his intention to paint a portrait of the three of them for good luck. After some playful banter, they posed for the painting. When it was finished, Little Rock and Wen Rou were surprised to see only themselves depicted.
Bai Choufei explained that he would be leaving the Capital the next day and would add himself to the portrait upon his return, which would be the true auspicious sign. He revealed he was going to River Chu to protect Lei Chun, admitting that while her heart belonged to another, he simply wanted to watch over her. Understanding his resolve, his friends wished him well. Later, Lei Chun bid farewell to Di Feijing, entrusting Six Half Hall to his care.
Di Feijing also saw Bai Choufei off, gifting him a popular local liquor and playfully echoing Wen Rou's earlier threat to break his legs if he didn't return safely. Meanwhile, Fu Zongshu advised Chancellor Cai that with Lei Sun dead, it was the perfect time to eliminate Su Mengzhen and the House of Sunset Drizzle by fabricating charges against them.
When Cai consulted Thirteen Doom about the martial prowess of their respective generation, Thirteen Doom admitted his inferiority in talent to Zhuge Zhengwo and in formation to Tianyi, but claimed superiority in martial arts. Chancellor Cai lamented the return of his old rival, Zhuge Zhengwo, from retirement. He devised a cunning plan, dismissing the idea of Thirteen Doom acting as an assassin as too obvious.
Instead, he proposed using Little Rock—as Tianyi's disciple and the martial nephew of both Thirteen Doom and Zhuge Zhengwo—to carry out the deed. Cai reasoned that Zhuge would never suspect his own nephew, ensuring the crime could not be traced back to him. Once Little Rock was implicated, they would have the perfect pretext to eradicate the House of Sunset Drizzle. Thirteen Doom intercepted Little Rock and engaged him in a brief martial exchange.
Recognizing the distinct style of the Carefree Sect, Little Rock identified the man as his martial uncle, Yuan Shisanxian, also known as Thirteen Doom. Yuan then led him to a grand residence in the Imperial Garden to meet Chancellor Cai. Through keen observation of the imperial setting, a rare painting gifted by the Emperor, and his host's erudition, Little Rock deduced the man's identity as Chancellor Cai.
After some pleasantries, Cai revealed the true reason for the meeting: to discuss the Youqiao Group. He described them as a merciless organization destabilizing the nation and delivered a shocking accusation: their leader was none other than Zhuge Zhengwo, Little Rock's other martial uncle. Little Rock vehemently denied the claim, citing his master Tianyi's praise for Zhuge's upright character. To convince him, Chancellor Cai took him to meet Fu Zongshu.
Little Rock immediately denounced Fu as a corrupt official whose words were worthless. However, Fu claimed he was merely following orders from the true mastermind, Zhuge Zhengwo. He painted a picture of Zhuge as a power-hungry manipulator who faked his retirement to control the court from the shadows. Fu alleged that Zhuge orchestrated the firearms explosion to frame him and profited from war by selling weapons to enemies and intentionally prolonging conflicts, a scheme of "supporting bandits to empower oneself."
Deeply unsettled, Little Rock left. Following Cai's suggestion, he went to observe Wazi Alley, a territory controlled by Zhuge's cronies, to see the "truth" for himself. That night, he saw a grim marketplace where a "private tax" was being collected.
He witnessed a staged event where a man begged for his brother's life, and the figure in a sedan—revealed to be Heartless, leader of the Four Great Constables and Zhuge's subordinate—agreed to spare the brother in exchange for his service on the dangerous northern border. Little Rock confronted the sedan, challenging Heartless's authority, before Heartless departed.
Afterward, the "grateful" man celebrated his good fortune loudly at a tavern, only to be marked for death by the barkeep, who received orders from "the higher-ups" to eliminate him to ensure the ruse could continue. Troubled, Little Rock sought out Di Feijing and asked him directly who was behind the Youqiao Group.
Di Feijing confirmed that Six Half Hall worked for the group and warned Little Rock that challenging them meant risking not only his own life but the lives of everyone he cared about. Seeing Little Rock's determination, Di Feijing proposed they each write down the name of the person they suspected to be the mastermind. They wrote a single character each on the table, and a shared look of grim understanding confirmed they had arrived at the same terrifying conclusion.
